Henan province is putting emphasis on urban ecology and agriculture this year, with policies to boost its shopping basket project that ensures the country's food storage, recreational agriculture, and the processing, distribution, and regulation of agricultural products, starting with six pilot cities.

The cities— Zhengzhou, Kaifeng, Luoyang, Xuchang, Xinxiang and Jiaozuo – will study the development of ecology and agriculture in urban area following the provincial government's list of benefits that cover the following: making best use of urban industry and facilities to increase agricultural productivity and to provide better quality, fresher food, and food safety; increasing tourism through recreational agriculture to meet urbanites' desire to get closer to nature and experience a quiet country life; improve the ecology of the urban area with pleasant landscapes, greater balance, and better environment and living quality; integrate the agriculture industry with secondary and tertiary industries to increase resource exchanges between rural and urban areas and improve the suburban economy and social stability, and reduce the rural-urban income gap.

The government has specific goals for ecology and agriculture in its plan, for example, by 2020, having advanced agricultural technology clusters, multipurpose agricultural zones, agricultural product logistics centers, and ecology and agriculture zones, as well as an urban ecology and agriculture network centered on the Zhengzhou-Luoyang metropolitan area and Zhengzhou Aerial Port.